Australia will implement a comprehensive "plastic ban" from November, and companies that violate regulations will be fined up to 275,000 Australian dollars
Single-use plastics will be phased out in all Australian states and territories, with nationally consistent rules coming soon.
From November 1, NSW will ban the sale of plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery and cotton swabs across the board, and other jurisdictions will follow suit at their own pace. Australia's last state to implement a "plastic ban"!
The NSW ban will also include microbeads in polystyrene food packaging and personal care products. It is reported that since June this year, the use of lightweight plastic bags has been banned in NSW. Businesses selling prohibited items will face fines of up to $55,000, and businesses that continue to knowingly flout the rules will face fines of up to $275,000.
At a meeting of environment ministers this week, it was decided to develop a nationally consistent set of policies around single-use plastics.
Queensland has banned single-use plastic straws and cups and will expand the ban to cotton swabs next year. Victoria plans to follow NSW's blanket ban in February, and other states have pledged to take similar action at different paces.
National retail agencies are calling for a nationally consistent policy on plastic use.
Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra said it was particularly difficult for small retailers to navigate the different regimes. "
The challenge we face is that across the country, different products are being phased out at different times," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Large supermarket chains such as Coles, Woolworths and Aldi have removed many single-use plastics from their shelves.
